Home Improvement: Six Tips for Helping Your Project Go Smoothly Home Improvement by Kandace Heller - August 27, 2013March 22, 2014 Household renovations are not for the faint of heart. Whether you have outgrown your current residence, purchased a fixer-upper or simply want to refresh your home, dreaming and planning for your project requires a unique blend of reality, discipline and focus. Here are six tips designed to help your project go smoothly. Be Specific One of the easiest ways for a home improvement project to spiral out of control is by not being specific. Renovators should work with skilled professionals and sign-off on plans that outline the entire realm of the project from scope of work, to materials and deliverables. Bids, contracts and blue prints will be essential to maintaining records of expected milestones. Make a Budget & Stick to It Ask anyone who has renovated a room, built an addition or overhauled a house and most will talk about costs and overages. Your project should be contingent on a fixed budget. However, do yourself a favor and allocate an extra 5-10 percent to account for overages. Ask for Discounts No matter the size of your project, do not be afraid to ask for discounts. Vendors will often discount services if you pre-pay, work with their recommended partners or purchase a certain volume of supplies. Put Everything in Writing It is of the utmost importance to get absolutely everything in writing. Check permits and licenses before starting the project, keep the signed contracts nearby and hold your vendors to all promised deliverables. While nobody ever plans on problems, signed documentation can help you in the event of a dispute. Consider Storage Prior to the project, you will need to clear out the future construction space. One of the best ways to minimize disruption in your home while keeping things together and well-organized is to rent storage unit. Having a place away from the construction will help keep your items safe and damage-free, according to an expert from Fayetteville NC self storage units. When your project is finished, you can easily bring the items back home. Keep Things on Track Simply put, time is money. For every day your home improvement project runs over, you will be amassing additional charges including lodging, storage and possibly meals. Do your best to keep the renovations on schedule or hire a dedicated contractor or foreman who can keep your project on track. Renovating a house can be a fun and rewarding process. In order to finish the project quickly and efficiently, you would be wise to plan, get organized and hold your contractors accountable for their work. With ancillary costs including lodging, meals and storage charges, knowing how to help your project go smoothly should be a top priority. Image Source : www.fkda.us